While 1996 has not been an exciting year in helicopters, manufacturers are chasing orders.
Douglas Barrie and Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON
CIVIL HELICOPTERS
THE CIVIL-HELICOPTER industry is emerging from one of its bleakest periods and is cautiously optimistic that the future is brighter. Recent forecasts suggest that the next few years will see demand for machines mushroom as replacement of aircraft delivered during the buying spree of the late 1970s becomes urgent.
On the commercial-helicopter front, this year's Farnborough air show is notable for the absence of the Eurocopter consortium. Although the company will have some representation on the Aerospatiale stand (1/C10), it will not have its latest hardware on display. Rotorcraft from Agusta, Bell Helicopter Textron, Enstrom, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) and Robinson will be on display in the static park.
Agusta's (E6) new light single-engined helicopter, the A119 Koala, will be at Farnborough for the first time. Deliveries of the eight-seater will begin in 1997. The Italian manufacturer will also be showing off the latest derivative of the twin-engined A109, the Power, which was certificated earlier this year.
Bell (4/01) will be offering the only real opposition on the helicopter front, with its two latest models. The Bell 407, its recently introduced new-generation development of the Model 206 turbine single, will have its Farnborough debut. The Bell 430, a stretched, four-bladed development of the twin-engined 230 will also be appearing for the first time.
MDHS (4/F2), which will be part of the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) contingent, will display an MD Explorer and is battling to keep its new MD600N helicopter on schedule following the loss of the second prototype during flight-testing. It remains confident that the first deliveries will be made before the end of this year as originally scheduled.
While the military EH Industries (E6) EH101 Merlin will be displayed at the show, the civil 30-seat Heliliner version is now undergoing the first stage of a 6,000h endurance programme in Brindisi, Italy, and so will again not be present. Sikorsky (4/G1) is working on its own large passenger- helicopter, the 20-seat S-92 Helibus, but the first example is not due to be flown until 1998.
At the small end of the civil market, Enstrom (2/A38) and Robinson will show off their wares in the form of the 280FX and 480, and R22 and R44, respectively. The two-seat R22 will probably be the most affordable aircraft on display.
MILITARY HELICOPTERS
WESTLAND AND MDHS will be taking the opportunity presented by the Farnborough show to parade their respective successes with the UK Ministry of Defence, with the Westland/Agusta EH101 and the Westland/MDHS WAH-64 Apache.
As the New Zealand defence ministry has decided to not announce the winner of its maritime-helicopter requirement until October, competitors Westland (E6) (with its Super Lynx) and Kaman (4/H8) (offering the SH-2G Sea Sprite), will be talking up the capabilities of their respective aircraft.
For Westland, and Kaman, there is considerably more at stake than the New Zealand order. In the Pacific Rim, Australia and Malaysia are also in the final throes of similar competitions. A win for Westland in these competitions would provide it with the platform to launch what is effectively a "next-generation" Lynx family. If Kaman wins the orders, it will enhance the credibility of the SH-2G as a platform capable of fulfilling maritime-helicopter requirements beyond the turn of the century.
Westland will also be looking for additional Lynx sales in Europe, with the German navy top of its list. The company could announce an additional order for new-build Lynx helicopters for Germany as well as an upgrade project for aircraft already in the inventory.
Eurocopter will be attempting to cushion concerns over the future of both the Tiger attack helicopter and the NH90 utility transport, for which it is the main partner within NH Industries. Neither of these helicopters, however, will be at the show.
Funding problems in France and Germany have dented confidence in the projects, so Eurocopter will be looking to use the show as an opportunity to bolster support. The company would like to announce that it has received the production-investment go-ahead for the Tiger from the partner nations.
MDHS and Bell will be looking to push their attack helicopters, the AH-64 Apache and the AH-1W, further into Europe. Bell will also hope to capitalise on its progress towards licence production of the AH-1 in Romania.
The Russian military-helicopter presence has yet to be finalised. The manufacturers of the Kamov Ka-50 Hokum and Mil Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters may use the show to continue their export efforts.
Source: Flight International
